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Tree felling campaigners could face 2 years in jail

A CAMPAIGNER is facing up to two years in jail after he was found in contempt of court yesterday for breaching an injunction banning direct action against tree felling in Sheffield.

Calvin Payne appeared at the court in Sheffield with two other campaigners against the city’s continuing felling scheme — Green city councillor Alison Teal and Siobhan O’Malley.

Mr Justice Males found Mr Payne in contempt relating to a Facebook post he had written, encouraging others to break the injunction, which bans protesters from entering safety zones set up around hundreds of trees earmarked to be cut down by contractor Amey.

It also forbids people encouraging or facilitating anyone else to break the injunction, including through social media.

The judge has still to rule on a number of other allegations of contempt against Mr Payne.

Mr Justice Males, the same judge who imposed the injunction in August, adjourned Ms O’Malley’s case for a week to allow her to seek legal advice.

He told her: “The council is inviting me to send you to prison if I find the contempt proved.”

Ms Teal was accused of one breach of the injunction relating to being inside safety barriers around a tree in September, but the case against her was dismissed.